Change Is Hard

…but change is certain.

Tag Archives: weather


by 25 Comments

When did it all get so scary?

Watching the snow fly.

Watching the snow fly.

It wasn’t so long ago that 14 inches (355.6 mm) of snow wouldn’t bother me.  I lived in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan where that much snow was a regular thing.  And I’ve done my share of commuting through blizzards over the years; I remember a few 4 hour drives to get home.  I used to do that just because it was expected that you went to work.  So you did.

Now?  Not so much.

More and more people are able to work from home, hook into their work computers and be almost as, if not more, productive.  So struggling with the car and the snowdrifts isn’t so normal any more.  Still.  Late yesterday afternoon and into the night I watched the snow pile up and worried about how I was going to get to work in the morning.   I pictured the winding hilly roads I travel and imaged driving them with over a foot of snow on the ground.  I strained to hear the sound of snow plows anywhere near my home, but failed to hear anything but the wind.

Driveway...early in the morning.

Driveway…early in the morning.

And this morning it was obvious that I wasn’t going anywhere, at least until I cleared the driveway of over a foot of snow.  Even Katie didn’t want to go out there unless I made her a path first.  Trust me I tried to get her to go without one.  Complete failure.

Never mind, didn't really need to go out anyway.

Never mind, didn’t really need to go out anyway.

So I spent a couple of hours clearing the driveway and the road in front of my house.  My two neighbors, both older men, cleared their sections of the road and helped me with mine.  I began to feel guilty about not making an attempt to get to the office.  But not one vehicle had been by and the people on the news said you needed 4 while drive.  So I didn’t try.

Hunkered down like the juncos.

Hunkered down like the juncos.

Later in the morning the sun came out, the sky was blue, the snow brilliant white.  Beautiful.  I felt brave and almost got in the car to head in to work.   I wonder why I feel so much more brave in the bright light of sun than I do in the middle of the night’s darkness.  And I wonder when I got scared to drive in the snow at all.

That's better mama!

That’s better mama!

The news is still showing back roads covered in snow and saying you need 4 wheel drive to get out of subdivisions.  A few more neighbors have plowed their portions of our road.  Maybe I can get out of the subdivision tomorrow.  Maybe people along the bigger side roads have plowed their own bits too.  Maybe the county has done the paved roads.

Maybe it won’t be so bad.  Maybe I can learn to relax and enjoy an unexpected day off instead of feeling guilty that I didn’t make it in.

Maybe the sun will come up tomorrow and I’ll be brave again.

Maybe this is the last snowfall of the season.

Right.

IMG_0969

 


by 20 Comments

WordPress Photo challenge – depth

It’s February 1st, a snow storm is upon us and everyone is huddled inside to wait it out.

Right?

 

Weekend fun

Weekend fun

In the depth of winter fishermen remain passionate about their sport.

 

Go see other interpretations of dept at the original WordPress post.

 

Or go see a few, here, here, and here.  And of course one more here.

Stay warm out there!

Brrrrrrrrrrrr....

Brrrrrrrrrrrr….

 


by 7 Comments

WordPress challenge: minimalist take II

I wandered about today, camera in hand, even though the sky was mostly uninteresting.  The leaves, once colored, are long gone, the crops nearly gone as well.  The landscape was brown.  And gray.  Drab.

But that works for what I was looking for; minimalism in the country.

I honestly think the concept of a minimalistic photograph fits more into an urban setting, at least in my mind, but I wanted to see if I could show you the vast expanses of farm country here in mid-Michigan.  And see if I could convince myself that minimalism can have a country side as well.

I found a few interesting things, but so many seemed busy, cluttered.  I like filling the frame when I’m on a photo hunt, so it was hard to look for negative spaces, to leave part of the frame empty.  I’ll show you some of the shots that didn’t make the minimalist cut, but when I came across this I had to capture it.

harvest time

It’s the end of the harvest here, and the white truck parked and being filled with shucked corn by the harvester in the middle of nowhere just struck me.  The muted colors, the empty field.  It all shouted to be noticed.

So I did.

You can see other photographers’ minimalistic offerings here and here.   Go.  Enjoy.  Spread your arms in all the space.   You can see all of photos by going to the original post.

And give it a try yourself.  No matter where you are you can find something minimal and interesting if you look.

Even way out in the country.

 


by 11 Comments

WordPress Photo Challenge – Minimalist

The concept of a minimalist photo is simple.  You might even say minimal.  It should contain a large amount of negative space and a somewhat monochromatic color scheme.  And if you can, it should tell a story.    This morning we woke to our first significant snow, so large parts of our world were monochromatic; I found this right outside my front door.

Imported Photos 01885

I’m not sure this is totally correct, I don’t see negative space for example.  I’m hoping to get out tomorrow to search for another example.  But you never know about tomorrow, so I’ll put this out there for now.  You can see other examples of minimalist photography here, here, here and here.  And especially this one.  Or go to the original link and read all about it, then look at the hundreds of submissions attached.

Meanwhile I’ll enjoy looking for another bit of minimalism.  You can too.  I’d enjoy seeing what you come up with!


by 10 Comments

Spend a relaxing weekend

On the lake.

On the lake.

Doesn’t it seem like people are stressed more than ever lately?  Frightening sights from all over the world flow into our nightly news every evening.  The economy continues to wallow and we all work harder than ever trying to get by, trying to make a difference, trying our best.

So I appreciate a lovely long weekend filled with nothing but good food and good company.  Here in the United States it’s Labor Day Weekend, when we  celebrate the labor of so many generations before and appreciate those people that worked so hard to build the country we are lucky enough to inhabit today.  It’s a time for family barbecue, camping in the woods, bonfires, boat rides, long walks, and naps.

I’m spending this holiday weekend on a lovely lake in the South where the weather has cooperated and the waters are warm, where the skies fill each afternoon with towering clouds but only a little bit of rain falls.

When I head back to work next week I’ll keep the memories of boat rides and deck sitting and bobbing in warm waters tucked safely away in the back of my mind.  And when that customer demands immediate attention or the coworker calls in sick I’ll pull those memories out and smile again.

We hope all of you are having a lovely weekend as well.  May we all relax and then start again next week with high spirits and wonderful memories.

Imported Photos 00038


by 12 Comments

Weekly Photo Challenge – – One

This week the WordPress photo challenge is  One.   We had an ice storm Saturday night and I decided to take advantage of the sadly beautiful devastation in my own backyard to show you my interpretation.  You can click on any photo to see more detail.

Many of our trees are hanging in low curves over the bird feeder.   Sunday the birds tried hanging out on ice covered twigs only a few feet from my window while waiting their turn at the feeder.  I thought this solitary finch was perfect for the concept of one.

ice goldfinch edited

I thought about stopping there, but I had a plan, even before the ice storm, to hang a single holiday ornament on a tree in the yard.  I thought I’d wait until after the storm and pick a snow or ice covered spruce.  But Sunday morning I couldn’t resist using the ice on our toppled birch tree as a foil against the red.

Imported Photos 01665

The ice is beautiful, but my heart aches for the loss of our lovely birch trees.  They’ve all been damaged, most will have to be cut down this spring.  I’ll have these images as memories of how beauty can be so damaging.

ice cardinal edited


by 13 Comments

Frosty morning

Garden beauty

Garden beauty

This time of year we here in Michigan are always threatened by an early frost.  Just when late blooming dahlias are at their best the weather turns cool and those dastardly weather people start making noises about frost.  Wednesday it was in the 90’s (32.2 C) here.  Last night we were warned it could go as low as 38 (3.33C) in the city, maybe colder out here in the country.  So after supper Katie and I went out and cut a few of the beautiful blooms, bringing them in to save them from the cold.

New variety

New variety

Katie had to go out this morning at 5:30 and I could see there was frost on the roof of the car parked in the driveway but I haven’t been out now that it’s daylight to see if the frost killed any plants.  We covered the tomatoes with sheets so they should be fine.  Meanwhile I have these lovely flowers inside to enjoy.  And Katie and I saw a shooting star when we were wandering in the cold earlier.

Pretty amazing

Pretty amazing

Flowers and shooting stars.  Not a bad way to start the weekend.

Summer memories

Summer memories